Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children

Is your child a 'trophy kid?' Do they receive participation awards just for showing up? Our guest today says 'you're doing it wrong.' In their bestselling book, NurtureShock, Ashley Merryman and co-author Po Bronson say that much of the conventional wisdom about parenting is backfiring. They argue that the so-called 'self-esteem movement' has gone too far and while it can be valuable, too much praise can actually hurt children. Meaningless, undeserved praise produces kids who don’t try hard enough, give up easier, take less risks, and simply collapse when they fail. Using a research-based, scientific approach to parenting, they argue that kids actually need to lose in order to grow and that we must stop letting "The Trophy-Industrial Complex" run our children's lives. Whether you're a helicopter parent or a recovering trophy kid yourself, join us.

Event: Ashley Merryman will be giving a talk tonight (Jan. 22) at 7:30pm at McGlohon Theatre and tomorrow (Jan. 23) at 9:30am at Levine Jewish Community Center on behalf of 'Joined in Education,' a joint project of the Charlotte Jewish Day School, the Charlotte Jewish Preschool, and the Jewish Preschool on Sardis. It is open to the public and tickets are available at joinedineducation.org or 704-366-4558.